Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)

A clearish sky at sunset, so I thought I would have a go at catching this brightening comet.

Well it does not look like much, just a smudge against the darkening evening twilight, but at magnitude 7 I think I was lucky to catch it at all. Of course this comet is brightening over the coming three weeks, so there should be more opportunities to see and image it. At the moment the early morning is a better time to view it, but soon it will be gathering greater altitude and become visible all night.

Will this be a great comet? Well no - although it may be a nice comet it will still be just at the edge of naked eye visibility at its brightest (mag 5). But you have to work with what you are given, so enjoy it as much as you can. Maybe it won’t be too long until another great comet shows itself.

Equipment used:

• Sony A7s
• 85mm telephoto lens
• 18 x 4s, ISO 1600, f/3.5
• Stacked and tweaked in Affinity Photo